garden

This summer WWOOF came by the Dacha Farm to take some pictures and check in on how we’re doing. Some of us have participated in WWOOF – learning about farming and agriculture through direct experience on other people’s farms. Now that we have our own little farm, we offer it to others. Here’s the short video they made:

If you’re looking for a WWOOF experience – get in touch! Learn more here.

Yesterday was the perfect day to inoculate some logs. We ordered spawn and a cool inoculation tool that puts sawdust spawn into pre-drilled holes. We cut down the sugar maple wood 10 days ago. That was the first step.

Then we drilled a lot of holes with a special drill bit that attaches to an angle grinder.

Here is Matt working hard. We used 2 strains of shiitake spawn – one that fruits in late Fall and early Spring and another that fruits during the warmer months. This will extend the harvesting season.

Maple with spawn in the holes:

We used hot wax (with mineral oil in it) to seal the inoculation sites so that other fungi wouldn’t have a chance.

Now we have about 48 logs and hopefully some will fruit this October! See the stacking method Matt used below:

Dacha Farms has a small CSA and here is the latest harvest. Matt Ocone has been working hard in the dirt to be able to collect the bounty of the land and display it on our kitchen table. Who’s coming over for dinner?

Mutant Corn is a collaborative, agricultural art project that wants well…collaborators. The project is inspired by the genetic, economic and social history of corn, and is in many ways an experiment in cross-breeding corn. More importantly, it is an experiment in crossing the social boundaries of agriculture, science and art, which is something that can be achieved only through getting more people to join in.

Mutant Corn is looking for folks to come in, get inspired by the project and people involved, and then to add something of their own creation to the foundation that has already been laid. Collaborators will get the chance to show their work at the gallery exhibit that will happen at the Dacha Project during harvest time. Learn more about the project and how you can get involved below, and read the full project statement.

For the summer of 2015 the Dacha Project (Freeville, NY) and artCodex (Brooklyn, NY) have teamed up to lay the framework for a project that will gather a community to discuss corn in all of its natural beauty, as well as the many problematic issues that surround it.

(diagram)

At harvest time, we will have a gallery exhibit at the Dacha Project during which people can observe the effects of cross-fertilization, and also to see the collaborative projects that have been born out of the discussions that Mutant Corn has generated. For example, one recent collaborator has decided to plant three chestnut trees in a triangle formation nearby the triangular beds of corn, in a sort of protest to growing corn altogether. The collaborator will do a write up of why she esteems chestnuts to be a superior alternative to growing corn. The write-up will be available at the gallery opening. Other ideas for collaborations include: an illustration of corn genetics, maps of where GMO is banned, and a timeline of the history of corn. The possibilities are all exciting and infinite, and more people are needed to generate and execute those possibilities in time for the opening, which is set for sometime in September. Other ways of getting involved include planting, de-tasseling, and caring for the corn all summer long, as well as getting the word out.

The next meeting and work party is schedule for May 30-31, and you can check the Dacha Project website closer to the time to see a more detailed schedule.

If you would like to be involved, please contact Lea LSF from Dacha Project at dachaproject at g mail dot you-know-what.

The structure I mentioned a few weeks back is coming together beautifully. Tammie’s food truck is also near completion. A lot has changed in the few weeks since my departure. The garden is flourishing and many projects are moving along.

For the first article in the new series “Space Utility”, I decided to explore a seemingly simple but innovative gardening technique the Dacha Project uses in their gardening system: the vertical strawberry tower.

The idea of utility, defined as usefulness, is important when creating an egalitarian community. One of the goals of an egalitarian community is to maximize each individual’s potential into realized energy and seen consequences. In the case of the Dacha Project, the egalitarian goal is to allow each person’s everyday life to contribute to a greater collective effort.

While observing the way of everyday life for the people at the Dacha Project, I was reminded of thte reading I have done about the philosophical ideals of utilitarianism. The ideal of classical utilitarianism is orienting actions that maximize happiness while minimizing pain. What is defined as happiness is the source of debate for a lot of philosophers, however, the concept is a lot more concrete in the Dacha garden. Happiness in the garden is observed by seeing plants that are flourishing and yielding maximum output. The Dacha concept of garden happiness is also evaluated on how many pests are present in the garden and how much destruction they cause.

The extra-dimensional strawberry tower maximizes happy gardening. Through the use of vertical, as opposed to strict use of horizontal space, the number of plants can increase while also increasing the likelihood that the plants will do well. This is achieved by evaluating the proper amount of soil, nutrition, and water each individual plant will need. With the design, another beneficial aspect is that the roots grow down within the soil as opposed to having roots that are sprawling. This is nutritionally beneficial to the plant since they get more nutrients from within the deeper soil.

Using the corner of the garden was a deliberate choice because that was the area of the garden that would be the most logical to construct a vertical and triangular gardening unit. After defining the proper area of the gardens, the right materials were needed for the vertical strawberry tower. The boards are made of black locust which is naturally rot resistant wood. The strawberries are also fed with compost consisting of soil form around the homestead and local horse manure. When the strawberries send runners, they will fall over the side of the trough they are planted in so that harvesting them is easiest and efficient.

This is the first vertical strawberry tower the Dacha Project has implemented, so it is an experiment in progress. Expect updates about this project!

This past sunday, Danila and his good friend John started to put up this handsome structure that will be used to house some plants that need extra protection. The holes that the posts are going into are about a foot and a half into the ground. They decided to use cement to secure the posts in place.

The cement is a bought in powder form and then water is slowly added to get the right consistency. It takes several days to weeks to completely cure as the water slowly evaporates.

The garden is finished! All the plants have been put in the ground for the summer. The seedlings were sprouted in the greenhouse and then transplanted.

The Dacha Project residents are very excited about their new outdoor shower. The hot water is provided through the veggie oil generator’s cooling process. The generator needs water to cool down its’ engine and then the water that is heated keeps their hot water tank full. The drainage from the shower will help to water Marina’s herb garden which is located next to it. All their water comes from a natural spring on site.

So, the Dacha is working on its new garden, which is still not fully fenced in (I hope no deer are reading this). Meanwhile, the veggies are still growing and feeding us. The other day I harvested my first cabbage and couldn’t help but notice how perfectly perfect it was. Fresh cabbage is a delight, confirmed our friend Dounan who loves to cook more than most people I know.

We made a stir fry with some freshly picked zucchini and off we went to a potluck. It’s nice having these south facing windows with garden beds right outside. We notice that the plants right out there do very well, possibly because the house is bouncing back extra heat and sun. We did learn recently that it is best, for moisture issues, to keep 20 feet from the house dry and seeded with short grass or clover. we have been having some issues with all the humidity and rain, but aren’t ready to give up these primo growing areas up just yet. Choices, choices…more on that later. For now, here is Dounan being himself with zucchini.